


Verity

by Lauriekits



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: AU, Fire, GX - Freeform, Guns, High School, Knives, M/M, Modern Assassins, One-Sided Attraction, Orphans, Relationship(s), Spies & Secret Agents, Violence, YGO GX, hornetshipping - Freeform, yugioh gx - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-05-16 23:08:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5844511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lauriekits/pseuds/Lauriekits
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With true origins unknown, an intellectual had been taken in while young, to be trained as an assassin and now works for one of the most powerful secret firms in Japan. Meanwhile, a short-tempered spy is ready to take down the same agency the unknown prodigy is working for, and the two cross paths.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for:  
> -animal death.  
> -family death.  
> -fire.
> 
> Please comment if you can!
> 
> Also, since Misawa is English in the dub, I decided to go with a common HC that he's half English, half Japanese. Everyone else, (unless it's a character like Jesse or other characters) are Japanese.  
> Sorry if this is confusing with the use of dub names-All my past GX fics have used dub names. Plus they work better for the sake of this fic. I hope you'll understand.

Heavy smoke slowly began to fill the skies as flames raged inside a small house, destroying everything in it’s path. The fiery blaze consumed the household with it’s scorching fangs, blistering every delicate item until they were no more. Inhabitants of the destruction were unable to escape, fallen wood and bitter fumes prevented their escape, leaving them trapped until they were unable to move. Unable to breath. Unable to live anymore.

Halfway through the blaze, emergencies had arrived. Exterminating the fire and finding the deceased couple, the small building was about to collapse due to the broken supports. Making a quick escape from the falling scorched wood, the emergency helpers recovered themselves and watched the remains of the fire fall to pieces, leaving the couple inside. Concluding that there was no hope for the house or the people inside, they merely got rid of the flames and left the responsibilities to those who cared.

Hours after the home was destroyed, a tall man dressed in black approached the wreck, taking a look at what the house had become. Folding his arms, he began to walk around the building, surprised at the impressive outcome a fire could create. He stopped in his tracks however, when he began to hear a slight cry of a baby. Following the noise, he walked underneath the police tape and began to pick up random remains of the house, until he discovered a crying toddler, wrapped up in a burned blanket. The man picked up the baby and took a look at him. The baby began crying louder, not recognising this stranger who had picked him up. His face was filled with tears and snot, which the man found disgusting.

“First you made my hands dirty by saving you,” quietly spoke the man, making a displeased face at the baby. “Now you dirty your own face _because_ I saved you.” Taking a handkerchief out of his right pocket, he began to clean the toddler’s face, who still continued to cry. The tall man rolled his eyes at the baby’s actions, folding the gross handkerchief and placing it in his pocket.

“Yet again, I can’t blame your sadness,” the man spoke again, knowing well that the child he was holding would not calm down anytime soon. “They just left you here, didn’t they? Those animals. They dare to call themselves human? A house, burned to the ground, and they didn’t even think to take care of you?” The man smirked and began to walk, holding the young child delicately.

“Guess I can’t just leave you to waste, then.”

\----

Several years later, on a large private property away from the city, there was an extensive building, large enough to allow several hundred guests inside. It was a large mansion, complete with fountains, sporting areas, gaming rooms, several utility rooms, a cinema and even a stable. In one of the many fine bedrooms, was a teenager, almost an adult, resting peacefully in his bed. He was tall, with black-blue eyes and light black hair. He had a peculiar hair style, neatly layered with a large portion of it shifted back and slightly to his left. His room was covered with several scientific interests such as astronomy posters, a periodic table, evolution lines of several species and many more. There was even a whiteboard filled with mathematical problems, which expanded to the walls themselves, since the equations were quite lengthy. In the bookshelves there were several textbooks and novels of all different genres, which were used often and organised neatly so dust wouldn’t gather. On the desk was a laptop bag, pen and paper, and calendar complete with checklist to help the boy start his day.

He began to wake up, yawning and stretching his arms. Opening his eyes, he took a look at his clock on the wall. With his blurry vision, the teen could barely make out what the clock’s hands were pointing to. On the smaller desk next to his bed, the male picked up his contact lenses and began to insert them into his eyes, blinking before confirming his now-better eyesight. Taking a look at the clock again, he quickly jumped out of bed, noticing he was already behind schedule.

“5:57 am?? Oh, training starts at 6am! How did I wake up so late…?” he questioned himself, worried over his small situation. “No matter, I can do this.” As fast and as tidily as he could, the panicked teenager made his bed and removed his pajamas, revealing his body to be quite muscular and toned. He replaced his pajamas with clean, training clothing. He then rushed outside of his room to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of mixed vegetable juice and heading downstairs. He kept running until he reached an underground area, secret to only a few residents of the mansion.

He took a sigh and began to drink his juice, placing it down when finished. Taking a look around the room, he noticed he was the only one present. _“Strange,”_ he thought to himself, checking his watch on his wrist. _“It’s currently 6:00am. She usually arrives before me…,”_ Confused at the unusual occurrence of arriving before anyone else, the boy shrugged and took a look around the room, observing the many training tools and exercise items ready to be used. Over the years, he had used every single one for his training, constantly breaking his own records with a few over time. He was unsure of which instrument he should start off with. The exercise bike was a personal favourite, and it always made him motivated to take on any sort of extreme work. The tall teenager smiled and placed himself onto the bike, checking on the registered times on the device.

As he was setting the timer, a large figure was moving from behind. It moved quietly and closer to the other, until they made contact with a punch to the boy’s back.

“Gahh!” cried out the teenager from both shock and pain. “W-what the…?” He turned around, noticing who he was accompanied by. “T-Tania?? W-what was that for?!”

Behind the boy, was a tall, dark-skinned, woman with long, reddish-brown hair, put up in a ponytail. She had blue eyes and over her left eye, were two visible scars and she was rather muscular, wearing her own set of training gear. The woman was known as Tania, the young male’s training partner and life-long friend.

“I was just saying hello,” responded Tania, chuckling.

“T-that was a hello??” asked the boy, removing himself from the exercise bike, rubbing his back where he was punched. “Nowadays, people use their words to greet each other…”

“But you should’ve saw that coming!” said the muscular woman, shaking her head. “I'm so disappointed in you. By now you should know better. What if that wasn’t me, and someone willing to kill you?”

“You’re right,” said the boy, frowning. “I should’ve known someone was behind me as soon as they entered.” The tall male stretched his arms and legs, before smiling and getting into a fighting stance. “I guess I need more training, hm?”

Tania smiled at her friend and prepared herself. “Just as long as you don’t get scared again. That would be embarrassing.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fully focused now.”

\---

The two had a few hours of intense training. This was to build up their strength, speed, stamina and speed. Being aware of their surroundings and to learn how to take any sort of hit with recovery was their main focus today, which Tania was already an expert on. Her friend however, was still progressively learning. Many bruises resulted of the training, the boy even managed to get a black eye from a slight slip up! But as the two finished and shook hands as respect, they sat down on nearby training benches and refreshed themselves.

“We have to work on your weak spot more,” commented Tania, drinking a bottle of water. “And I don’t mean your back where I struck you earlier.”

“I-I know,” chuckled the boy. “You mean my tendency to get surprised by others.” He took a drink from his vegetable juice and took a deep breath. “You do know why that weakness is present, right?”

“Yes,” replied Tania. “It’s due to your amazing ability to be invisible to almost everyone.”

“Yeah, amazing for work. Not for socialising…,” sighed the male, upset at this fact. He had an unfortunate yet useful, what the boy considers a ‘curse’. He was often ignored, forgotten and not seen by others, and it was always a mystery as to why. It wasn’t any sort of supernatural ability, he couldn’t turn literally invisible by choice nor was he a ghost. He just wasn’t very noticeable.

“Oh come on!” said the girl, giving her training partner an affectionate pat, which resulted in a powerful and painful hit on the back. “Perhaps if you go out more often, you’ll get noticed easily! Introduce yourself to some guys, make some friends! Maybe find a girl you like…”

“T-Tania!” interrupted the male, in pain from the previous hit and blushing from his friend’s comment. “I-I don’t have time for such illogical things such as _…girls…_ I have work, training and studies to focus on!” The well-toned teenager always found the subject of meeting girls for date or anything to do with romance embarrassing and irrelevant. He had liked girls he socialised with in the past but never got a chance with them, either due to his trait of being ignored or his nervousness when it came to talking to one he liked. Although the idea of having a romantic partner sounded amazing to the boy, he never believed he would ever get a chance with anyone.

“B-Besides…how am I supposed to introduce myself to anyone? I haven’t been given a name yet…” the boy continued, frowning at his unfortunate circumstance.

“Oh, right,” said Tania, completely forgetting about her partner not having an official name. Well I only got mine a year ago! You should be getting yours soon. In the meantime, is it okay if I still call you Bass?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” replied 'Bass' giving a smile to his life-long friend.

Under the household the boy lived in, there was a strict rule to follow by. All assassins taken in by the owners of the mansion where either abandoned or had no family to begin with in their youth. Each one were trained to be assassins from a young childhood, and where not given a name until rightfully earned. This was a motivation tool to make the soon-to-hitmen to stay and train, as identity was huge aspect of life in this modern era. No name meant no life. You weren’t allowed to make up any name for yourself either, it had to be a registered name by the government, and only those with money and power could so for themselves. And, without an identity, you were treated as scum of the Earth. Nobodies. Basically non-human.

A name was something this boy desperately desired. He hoped to be named soon. After all, he was a trained assassin.

“Hey, Tania?” asked the male.

“Yeah?” responded the woman, smiling.

“Why did you give me the nickname ‘Bass’ anyway? You gave it to me a while ago but never explained. May I please ask why?”

Tania sighed as her smile faded away. “Okay, look…don’t tell anybody this, alright? But, when I was taken in, I had a pet…”

“A pet?” asked the male, tilting his head with curiosity. “What sort of pet?”

“A…well, a tiger.”

“T-tiger?!”

‘Bass’ was absolutely shocked. Out of all animals to keep as a pet, a tiger?

“Yes…,” she responded, her smile slowly growing back. “For as long as I remember, I kept him as my companion and best friend. When… _they_ found me, they decided I could keep him with me. I was so happy. I didn’t have to split up with my best friend. Bass. His name was Bass.”

“Was…?”

“Yeah. Unfortunately, he started to attack a few of the residents and employees here, because they were strangers. I was told that I was allowed to keep Bass as long as I took care of him, and that he would remain a secret to all. That’s why this is new information to you, I couldn’t risk even letting you know.”

“I understand…, so what happened to Bass?”

“He was, shot…”

The male covered his mouth, horrifying that someone would kill such an animal, especially if they were a life-long friend of Tania’s, like the boy was. Imagining the scenario in his head, the boy wanted to vomit. But he managed to contain himself, and noticed his friend’s expression. Tania’s face was filled with sadness and regret, tears filling her eyes. “I-I should’ve just saved him…I could’ve easily taken everyone down in this facility… I s-should’ve just ran away with Bass and lived a life without a name!”

The boy felt dreadful for what his best friend and her companion suffered, so he immediately moved over to give Tania a hug. She opened her eyes in slight surprise, but soon returned the hug. “I just, didn’t want to leave you here, either…”

“It’s okay, I understand…,” replied the teen, continuing the hug. “You did what you could, I’m sure Bass would be proud of you…,”

Tania broke off the hug and wiped her tears. “Y-Yeah…,” she said, beginning to smile again. She stood up and began to shout.  “Of course! I am of Amazoness descent, after all! Nothing beats Tania, and Bass knows that!”

Tania’s friend smiled at her, admiring her determination and ability to get back on her feet ever so quickly. She was a huge inspiration to the boy, and he would always continue to support her.

“That’s where the name ‘Bass’ comes from,” said Tania, still standing in her proud stance. “You’re my best friend, and so was he…, Sorry if that makes you uncomfortable in any way.”

“Oh, it’s fine! I love it!” exclaimed the boy, standing up. “It’s nice to have a name after all, even if it’s a temporary one. Feel free to call me that as much as you like, Tania.”

“Thank you, Bass,” replied Tania, still smiling from her friend’s support. “Oh, you know your birthday is coming up in a few months, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Just saying. Just wanted to remind you about how you’re getting old,” Tania laughed, poking fun at her friend.

“You’re two years older than me!” stated the boy, laughing with Tania’s comment.

“Nu-uh. Never called a lady ‘old’!”

\---

Later that day, Tania and ‘Bass’ continued to spend time with each other, walking around in the large building, having a discussion on a future name. They headed outside, hoping to do some training in their spare time.

“So, you’re very intelligent…,” said Tania. “What about Daichi?”

“Daichi…?” asked the curious male.

“Yeah, it’s a smart-sounding name, don’t you think?” she asked. “Like that character on that TV show we watched. Remember that character who was studying Japanese mythology but was also a huge nerd?”

“Oh, yeah! Well, it is a rather nice Japanese name, and I am Japanese myself,” stated the boy, finding the suggestion rather nice.

“Yet again, _they_ said you were found in England, correct? Perhaps an English sounding name…Charles, perhaps?” suggested the ponytailed woman.

“That is a rather nice name, but I’m not sure if that suits me.”

“Hmm. What about Nigel?”

“N-no!”

“Simon? Oliver? Eloise? Rocky?”

“T-Tania, all those names sound ridiculous!” laughed ‘Bass’, finding all his friend’s suggestions rather silly. “I’d want a nice sounding name…I’d be lucky enough to keep the nickname you’ve given me.”

“Aww, unfortunately that won’t be the case,” stated Tania, nudging her friend with her elbow. “But whatever name you receive, I’m sure it’ll be wonderful. It will be _your_ name after all.”

The two suddenly stopped in their tracks when a woman sharp-dressed in blue stood in front of them. She handed both the boy and Tania small black, rectangular devices, and nodded. The other two nodded in return and the woman walked away. The two friends looked at each other and nodded, as an agreement for Tania to listen to her device first. She pressed the button and placed the device near her ear. She concentrated on the device that emitted a private message, giving information of instructions. When the message finished, Tania threw the device onto the grass nearby, and the device exploded.

“Got a job,” she said, pointing where she threw the device. “I have to take out some lady called Camula in Romania.”

“Tania, you’re not supposed to reveal that information, remember?” reminded the teen, looking around to see if anyone was listening.

“Hey, I always do, but I only tell you,” replied Tania, winking at her friend. “How else am I supposed share stories of my life with you? After all, you do the same.”

“Yes, but I still feel bad about it,” said ‘Bass’ nervously. “They’re supposed to be top-secret information, we’re not even supposed to tell our closest friends. While yes, as much as I like discussing my personal life with you, Tania, I always feel guilty doing so…”

“Well, I never tell a soul about what you do. And you do the same with me. No need to feel guilty, _they_ won’t find out about our talks.”

“You’re right…,” Truth is, he wasn’t only guilty for breaking one of the most important rules of being an assassin, he was also terrified of what possible outcome would occur if he was caught. Knowing he was working for strict, powerful people, taking even the smallest risk scared him. But talking with Tania made him feel better. The unnamed boy took a few spaces forward and pressed the button on his small device, then placed it close to his ear. After taking a listen to his message, he threw the device away for it to self-destruct.

“Well?” asked Tania. “When do you have to start? Mine job starts in a few hours.”

“Tonight,” responded the male. “The prodigy from the Senrigan Group. He needs to be eliminated.”

“S-Senrigan…?” asked the woman, gasping.

“Yes…This is going to take some time to calculate. It’s best if I leave now and do some study on the subject and the area the assassination will take place.”

“Right. Good luck!”

“You too.”

\---

In front of a tall building, towering over all below it, was a skinny, spiky-haired teenager in a suit. Shiny black eyes and pale, delicate skin, thin eyebrows and clean teeth with sharp canines and hair black as a raven. The boy was on a mission to protect someone from being murdered due to the subject’s status of being with the Senrigan Group, a very powerful organisation. Dressed in black and grey to suit his needs and to blend in, the teenager walked into the building, rolling his eyes.

“Ugh, I gotta take care of some big-shot huh? Doesn’t he have enough bodyguards already?” grumbled the boy, before heading to reception. He gave details of who he was and why he was here, and was granted permission to use the elevator. Scanning a key-card for special access on the wall nearby, the elevator arrived to the reception floor and opened, revealing to be empty.

He looked outside and waited for any other people wanting to use the elevator, before pressing a button nearby to close the door. He pushed the button for the highest floor, and the lift began to move upwards. He held onto the bars nearby and took out his mobile phone, reading the message he had received.

“Oh, a missed call from Alexis?” he said to himself as he began dialling. It began to ring and shortly after, the call was received.

“Chazz,” spoke a feminine voice on the phone.

“Alexis! How are you?” happily asked the boy, smiling at hearing the other’s voice.

“I’m fine. Why didn’t you answer earlier?”

“I only noticed a missed call just then. Why did you call? Is someone fina--…”

“No, Chazz. I’m not asking you out on a date,” she grumbled. “You ask this almost every time…”

“Hey, it doesn’t hurt to try,” replied the caller, feeling disappointed in the rejection.

“Anyway, I called up to check up on you. Are you _sure_ you can handle this?” the voice asked, having slight doubts about her fellow worker.

“Alexis, you know me. I’m Chazz! _The_ Chazz. I know what I’m doing.”

“Yes, but… considering who you are protecting, I don’t want your jealousy to get in the way.”

“I-I’m not jealous of him! He’s just a snobby, stuck-up rich kid who thinks he’s better than everyone else!”

“Sounds like someone else I know…,”

“Haha, very funny. I’ll be fine Alexis, trust me.”

“Alright. I’ll keep in touch.”

“Bye, Lexi~!”

“Ugh.”

The call ended, and Chazz placed his phone away in his pocket. “She’ll consider dating me one day, I just know it…,” muttered the boy, smiling at the thought. His comrade occasionally checked up on him, knowing Chazz tended to get carried away at times due to his anger. This comrade, Alexis Rhodes, was also Chazz’s friend and crush, and he never kept his feelings secret. He attempted to occasionally make attempts to woo Alexis, but she would always reject him, which just made the boy even more determined to win his crush’s love.

The elevator stopped, but it had not reached the destination Chazz had hoped for. It stopped early for someone else to arrive onto the lift, which slightly annoyed the teen, but there was nothing he could do about it. Boarding the elevator as it’s doors opened, was the unnamed trained assassin, dressed in fancy clothing, who decided to stay on the 7th floor in the meantime. He had already studied the top floor for possible dangers and outcomes, but it was time to arrive and calculate how to finish his job. Walking in, he already noticed the button for the highest floor, realising the man before him was reaching to the same destination. The assassin stood there, not saying a word to the other. It was best only to socialise when necessary, and to ‘Bass’, the other male didn’t even look slightly interested in having a discussion with anybody.

As they passed floors, lights would illuminate the numbers on the keypad, showing which floor they passed each time. The two teenagers stood in silence, taking quick glances at each other every now and again. Due to the tallness of the building, it was taking a long while for the elevator to reach the top floor, which was annoying Chazz. He began tapping his feet in annoyance, trying to calm himself down. Taking a look at the keypad of floor number, he noticed that it was going to be a while to reach the highest floor.

“Is this thing ever going to stop soon??” he asked himself, cursing below his breath. Suddenly, the lift made a rough stop, causing Chazz to lose his balance and fall to the floor. “W-what the Hell??” he asked, trying to get up.

The taller teenager saw the other fell and saw he was in pain, so he offered to help. “Do you need assistance?” he asked, offering his hand to support Chazz.

“Oh wow, he speaks,” remarked the other, refusing the offer as he stood up himself.

“Well, I’m not mute…,” spoke the assassin, not happy with the other’s rudeness. He took a quick look at the keypad and noticed it was on the 18th Floor. He and Chazz waited for the door to open, but it didn’t. “Strange,” he commented, take a further inspection of the keypad and closed door. After waiting a few more minutes, he pressed a button to open the elevator door, but it did not budge. He pressed it again. Nothing happened.

“Oh, dear…,”

“What? What's happening??” angrily asked Chazz, agitated at the situation.

The unknown male only gave a quick and simple answer.

“We’re stuck.”


	2. Chapter 2

“What do you mean we’re stuck?!” Chazz said, raising his voice. Angry and agitated at the situation of being stuck in an elevator, the young black-clad teenager was worried about his delayed arrival time. _“What if I don’t make it on time? What if someone planning to get rid of that snob already did the job? What if someone else saved him, stealing my job?”_ He began to think of the possible outcomes of being late, which caused him to yell more. “You better fix this, stranger!”

“Well,” said the taller teenager, not enjoying being yelled at. “Let me just press this button here.” He pointed to the button below all the numbers which had an illustration of a phone on it. He went to press the button, before getting his arm pushed away by the other.

“No!” yelled Chazz, not wanting any emergencies to be called up. He wanted this situation handled without any help, as it would be embarrassing for himself to not reach his goal by himself.

“Excuse me?” questioned ‘Bass’, confused at the other’s actions. “What was that for?”

“We can’t call anyone,” said the shorter male, standing in front of the keypad. “Not yet, anyway… Can’t you think of another way?”

“Calling for help is the best option. Why are you against that?”

“B-Because… We can do this our own way, okay?” Chazz turned to the keypad and had a look at the many buttons. “Hm, what if we do this?” He pressed the top floor’s number again. The elevator did not move. “Come on, come on!!” Anxious and beginning to panic, Chazz began to press the same button over again.

“What are you doing??” frantically asked Bastion as he pushed Chazz away from the keypad. “For safety, we should contact help!”

“Hey! Nobody pushes The Chazz out of the way!” exclaimed the spiky-haired male, grabbing onto the other’s tie to forcefully pull him forward.

“Well, _Chazz,_ ” said the unnamed teenager, removing Chazz’s hand from his grasp. “You are being ridiculous. There is a way for us to get help, and you’re refusing it? This dial was made for scenarios like this. Would you rather me call for emergency via mobile?”

“No! We can just…wait…”said Chazz, feeling his wrist. The boy wasn’t planning on letting some strangers help him. He wanted to do this all by himself.

“Why? Do you have something against professional help?” questioned the muscular teen. “…Unless you’re on here without permission. Is that what you’re concerned about, Chazz? Getting caught?”

“No way!” scoffed the raven-haired male. “I’m here as a guest to Aster Phoenix’s formal party. I was invited.”

“Is that so? Then why are you so concerned about anyone outside this elevator helping you?”

“B-Because…,” Chazz sighed. He was considering saying that he doesn’t need help, but the shorter male decided against it. “H-Hey! Who are you to question me, huh? Who dares questions _The_ Chazz?”

“I am, obviously,” replied the assassin.

“I mean, what is your name?” asked the other, curious as to who this guy was. If anyone was going to a party for Aster Phoenix, Chazz would know them. Considering he had a history with the younger prodigy, it was unusual to see someone he didn’t recognise heading to the same floor as him. And that floor was where Aster Phoenix was.

“Oh,” replied the unnamed teenager. He remained silent, before being interrupted a few short seconds later.

“Are you gonna answer me, big guy?” asked the impatient male, tapping his foot in annoyance. He then smirked and decided to poke fun. “Unless…you don’t have a name...”

“I-I do have a name!” lied the taller male. Immediately realising what he had just said, his mind was throwing several different calculations of how to make the next move. There were several options with several consequences, and his mind was rushing through them quickly.

_“Think of a name, quick! It’s not like you’ll see him again.”_

_“I’ve never had to make a name for myself before, it was always unnecessary. Nobody has noticed me in all my jobs, so this is unique to me.”_

_“What if he asks even further questions? I’ll have to lie for those, too.”_

_“Gosh, what if he asks about a surname? Oh, I could use their surname…”_

_“No, no, no! That’s too risky! Think of the consequences of revealing your own bosses!”_

“Then what is it??” asked Chazz, demanding an answer. His words interrupted the other’s rushed thoughts, which were overstimulating him. The trained assassin had never been stuck in a situation before, especially since his socialising skills were poor and he was often ignored. With his constant thoughts speaking over each other and confusing him, the older male suddenly spoke up.

“It’s Bastion!” declared the assassin, taking a few breaths to calm himself down from his stressed mind. “My name is… Bastion…”

“Well, why didn’t you say so before, Bastion?” asked the younger male, finding ‘Bastion’s’ behaviour unusual. However, he shrugged it off and began questioning the other again.

“So, _Bastion_ , what are you doing here? What makes you so important for Phoenix to invite you to his gathering, hm?”

“O-Oh, uhm…, I’m a scientist.”

Occupation-wise, he was lying. But in truth, Bastion was a brilliant scientist, shocking even the best of the best private scholars and scientists that resided in the intellectual’s home. His theories, intelligence and ability to figure out any problem with mathematic equations and theory was phenomenal to them, calling Bastion the most gifted student the household has ever had for years. He found science and mathematics very enjoyable, as it was an easy way to keep him occupied and to keep his mind thinking.

“A scientist, hm? Why would rich boy invite a scientist?” asked Chazz, curious about this stranger.

“Ah, well. Mr. Phoenix and I plan to discuss-“

“Wait, wait, wait. _Mr._ Phoenix?” The raven-haired boy scoffed, poking fun at the other’s mannerisms. Finding Bastion’s way of addressing the silver-haired youth humorous, Chazz began to chuckle.

“Yes… What’s so funny?” asked the confused male, raising a brow at the other’s laughter.

“That sounds so stupid!” stated Chazz, still laughing. “Mr. Phoenix…”

“Hey, it’s good manners!” said Bastion, folding his arms. “I’m here to talk to him about business, and we aren’t close, so it’s-“

“Dumb!”

“No, it’s not!”

“Look Bastion. I’m not particularly close to that snob either, but the formalities aren’t required. I just call him Aster or whatever comes to my mind.”

“Like…?”

“I don’t know,” the spiky-haired teen shrugged. “Asshole.”

“Chazz! That is rude and unpleasant,” spoke the other, unamused by Chazz’s comments.

Personally, from his studies, Bastion learned that Aster Phoenix was an amazing young teenager. A pro-athlete, intelligent student, completing university course when he was just 14 years old...there was no wonder why he had achieved world fame. And working for the powerful Sanrigan Group, Bastion knew that Aster had a lot of responsibility on his hands, known to be the next future leader of the organisation. This was the very reason why the trained assassin was here.  Although Bastion highly respected the young teen prodigy, it was his duty to eliminate Aster Phoenix. He had no right to be bias towards the youngster. However, Chazz’s attitude got Bastion curious. The younger male mentioned that he was invited by the prodigy himself, so why the rude attitude and name-calling? Was there some sort of rivalry, or perhaps just jealousy? The black-haired teenager decided to ask questions of his own.

“…Do you detest Mr. Phoenix, Chazz?” queried Bastion, intrigued by his acquaintance’s attitude.

“…Perhaps a little,” responded the spiky-haired male. “B-but that’s none of your business!”

“It’s none of my business yet you already gave me the answer I wanted?” asked the assassin, humoured by the other’s mistake.

“Uh, well… It’s none of your business as to why I dislike him. But I only said maybe!”

“You just confirmed that you definitely dislike Mr. Phoenix.”

“….L-look, just, quit asking me questions about me and Aster! I don’t like him, let’s leave it at that.”

Bastion sighed and decided to remain silent. Despite his life of being trained as a hitman, the intelligent teen was rather polite to whomever spoke to him. Unlike his bosses, who were discourteous and full of anger, Bastion was kind and respectful. He was only caring to those he felt need to care about however, as his training and past experience in his life taught him to show no mercy when it came to any insignificant or if they were a target. Aster Phoenix was world famous and loved by almost everyone, however he was an enemy to Bastion’s bosses, a potential threat to their company. Bastion knew that all too well, but what about this fellow he had just met? Was Chazz part of a major company as well that despised Aster for his status, or was it just something else? The tidy-haired male was confident that he would receive his answers tonight at the party. That’s when he suddenly remembered that he was stuck on the elevator with his skinny acquaintance.

“Chazz, can you do us both a favour and press the emergency button on the panel, please?” he asked, wondering if the moody teenager had come to his senses yet. The other just grunted and shook his head, annoyed that Bastion brought up the subject of the elevator again. “Chazz, come on. Do you want to leave here or not? Because personally, I don’t want to be stuck in an elevator all my life.”

Chazz just sighed and rested against the keypad unknowingly, pushing many of the buttons on the panel with his back. Hearing several sounds coming from the panel, the smaller male suddenly stood up and turned around, realising that the sounds were his doing. The elevator instantly began to move and headed upwards to the top floor, the sudden movement making Chazz fall down again. Quickly realising what was happening, he got up quickly, and stood up with pride, pointing upwards.

“You see? I told you The Chazz could do this!” he stated, smiling at his ‘effort’. This caused Bastion to sigh and shake his head at the other’s absurdity, but he was glad that they were finally moving. As the lift finally reached the final floor, the two emerged from the lift and stepped into the room, which was occupied by many guests.

Chazz headed straight towards the refreshments, dehydrated from his stress in the lift. Bastion proceeded to do the same, focusing on his surroundings. There was an estimate for 50 guests in the room, many standing around with drinks. Others sitting at the various tables, indulging in their meals. The intellect already investigated the area earlier, where everything was set up, so he know where everything is. And just as suspected, several bodyguards were at different areas of the fancy room. And to the corner of his eye was his target, Aster Phoenix of the Sanrigan Group.

Aster was greeted the guests who arrived, giving many handshakes and salutations. He was accompanied by his manager, Sartorius Kumar, who was known for helping Aster lead to fame. The two were also best of friends, and protected each other dearly. Aster was wearing a silver suit to match his silver hair and blue eyes, while Sartorius put his blue hair up in a ponytail, wearing a mix of white and blue. The long-haired manager whispered into Aster’s ear, then the two decided to walk into a private room. Bastion watched the two leave, but didn’t plan anything yet.

He knew this was going to be a risky mission. According to his research, Sartorius was a well-known fortune teller, while Aster has had many prognostications that had come true. This was against Bastion’s beliefs and scientific theory, but it was interesting to ponder about. If this was true, the assassin had to be extra careful not to get caught early.

For now, the intellect had to blend in with the crowd, so he poured himself a glass of water and walked around the room. He found himself standing next to the acquaintance he had met before, Chazz. He was drinking a glass of punch and looked around the room, as if he was looking for someone.

“Are you searching for something?” asked Bastion, his sudden presence making Chazz jump.

“Geez!” said the scared teen, nearly dropping his drink. “I didn’t even see you there, where did you come from?”

“I…just got here,” responded Bastion, sighing. In most cases, whenever he wasn’t invisible to others, he shocked them by surprise due to his unexpected appearance. “If you’re looking for Aster, he’ll be back soon.”

Taking a drink of his punch, Chazz looked around again, swallowing his drink to speak. “What were you doing, _spying_ on him?”

“Uh, no,” responded the assassin. “I just noticed him walk off with his manager, that’s all.”

The two stood there for a few minutes, taking sips at their drinks. During their time of silence, Bastion began calculating a plan to get rid of the young Phoenix. In the middle of his thoughts, he noticed Aster and his manager enter the room again, with many guests surrounding the two for conversations. Sartorius organised with the guests to stay calm and to be fair with others, letting them know that Aster will go to each one individually. The guests listened and parted ways, waiting for their time to talk. The trained teenager focused on Aster, waiting for the right time to approach him. Bastion noticed that the silver-haired prodigy was searching his pockets, realising that something was missing. He spoke to his manager who then nodded and proceeded to leave the premises. Once Sartorius left, Bastion found this the perfect opportunity to speak to Aster. Unfortunately, the youngster walked off to approach the raven-haired male from before, tapping him on the shoulder.

“Good evening, Chazz,” said Aster, smiling at the other’s presence. This caused Chazz to turn around and face the younger male with disgust.

“Ugh, it’s fancy-schmancy rich boy,” commented the spiky-haired teen, displeased at his current conversation partner.

“Funny. You’re describing yourself too, Chazz,” noted Aster. “I don’t understand. We’re so alike, and yet you have a problem with me?”

“We’re _nothing_ alike,” corrected Chazz. “Out of nowhere, you rose to fame. You literally came out of nowhere, ruining my spotlight.”

“Oh, that’s not true. You still have a handful of fans.”

“A _handful?_ ”

“Anyway, it wasn’t my fault you suddenly fell in fame status. I personally do want us to co-operate together, but you always refuse my friendship.”

“I don’t need to be friends with you! I don’t want to!”

“Why not? I’m being as kind as I can, Chazz. I even offered you a position as my understudy, but you declined.”

“I refuse to work for someone younger than me,” stated the taller male, folding his arms in annoyance.

“So stuck up,” sighed Aster, shaking his head. “Oh, well. I tried to reason with you Chazz, but please remember. I had no intention of overtaking your fame. Trust me.”

Chazz just grumbled and folded his hands into fists, still folding his arms to restrain himself. He would never intentionally hurt anyone unless necessary, but his anger was building up and had a strong desire to punch a wall. His strong dislike for the silver-haired youngster all began a few years ago, when he was rising to fame. Chazz was famous for his intelligence in boarding school and for competing in many local game tournaments involving wit. He was also known for his adoring crush on Alexis Rhodes, who went to school with him, and his rivalry with another student from a public school. His popularity depleted when Aster entered the scene, with his impressive looks and amazing ability to play both sports and games. Chazz grew jealous, despite still having a lengthy fanbase. His fans fuelled his ride, and his pride fuelled his happiness. And he wasn’t planning on losing his happiness any time soon.

The two were still in high school, but Aster was rather busy with his management with the Sanrigan Group, while Chazz focused on his work as a young secret agent to protect others and investigate anything suspicious. It was difficult for the black-haired body to ignore his anger-filled emotions he had for Aster, as it was his job to protect him.

Sighing, Chazz began to turn around and walk away, but stood still in place when he noticed a familiar face in the distance. “A-Alexis…?!” he muttered loudly to himself, in shock as to why his crush, who was scheduled to stay at headquarters, was present at Aster Phoenix’s party. As he stood still, the youngster approached his rival and said his goodbyes.

“Well, it was nice talking to you. I’ll see you around, Chazz Pri--…!!”

In an instant of hearing the silver-haired prodigy pronounce Chazz’s full name, the taller male turned around and grabbed at Aster’s suit, pulling him face to face with him.

“Do _NOT_ call me that. It is _just_ Chazz. _Only_ Chazz. _The Chazz_. Got it?!” Furious with the other’s words, the older male felt like spitting at Aster’s face, but knowing his disrespectful that was, he restrained himself. Whenever he heard anyone saying his full name, or even just his surname, he had the strong desire to spit at not the people the words, but at the words spoken. But he would never go as far as literally mocking the other. He may not have liked Aster all too well, however he didn’t entirely hate him. He only managed to grab hold of the youngster, staring at him with anger.

“Chazz!” blurted out Alexis, who stood up from her table and rushed to her friend. Forcing Chazz to back away from the youngster, she apologised to Aster for the obnoxious behaviour. “I’m so sorry, Aster.” She then looked around her company, and quickly remembered that this wasn’t high school where she could casually address her classmate. This was a formal function, and proper manners were to be addressed, even if she was older than the prodigy. “Ahem, _sir_. Chazz, back away. Now.”

Chazz gave a deep sigh and glanced at Aster before deciding to walk away with Alexis. He looked at the floor with disappointment in himself, knowing he wasn’t doing his job right. _“My job is to protect Aster, not yell at him and embarrass myself,”_ he thought. “ _But how can a punk like him be so happy with his life? He acts like all his achievements are nothing, when they have to be earned! Earned through hard work and determination!”_

“Chazz?”

Alexis’ voice made the male spy fall back into reality. During his thoughts he didn’t even realise that he and his comrade were already sitting at a nearby table, in front of expensive gourmet food. He blinked at the food before looking at Alexis. He had never seen her dressed up so elegantly before. Navy blue lipstick, golden eyes matching with her long, golden hair and complimenting crimson dress. Chazz could not help but stare and blush at the girl. Seeing that her classmate was in a daze, she sighed.

“Chazz, you can stop staring now,” she ordered, looking away in annoyance. “It’s just something I took out of the closet. It’s not like I look like a big deal or anything.”

“Oh, but you’re just so beautiful…” Chazz pointed out, unable to take his eyes off the teenage blonde.

“I appreciate the compliment,” said the girl, giving a slight smile in return, unwillingly glowing red on her cheeks. “But you need to keep an eye on Aster, not me. Besides, this isn’t going to change anything. We’re still just friends.”

Chazz sighed and nodded, paying attention to the food in front of him instead. “Oh, hey. Gourmet steak.” He picked up his cutlery and made a small slice of the steak, inserting it into his mouth. After he swallowed it, he gave a smile. “At least Aster has good taste in food,” he said, before realising the small plate of various vegetables nearby. “Or maybe not.”

“Would you like me to take them?” asked Alexis, sighing at her friend’s dislike for vegetables.

“Go ahead, thanks,” spoke the teenage boy as he offered his side plate of vegetables to Alexis. As they were taken away, Chazz was started to question his crush’s appearance.

“Wait a minute, what are you doing here?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re supposed to be at HQ, monitoring everybody else.”

“I was invited by Aster, it would be rude to not show up. Besides, I knew you’d pull a stunt like that, so I had to make sure you’d be safe.”

“S-stunt? It was an accident!”

“You let your anger get the best of you, Chazz.”

“You don’t understand! He…,” Chazz sighed, lowering his voice. “He almost…said  _that_ name….”

“Name? O-oh…,” Alexis knew very well about Chazz’s hatred for the name Aster almost said, and understood his sudden outrage with the youngster. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” said the male spy, making another slice of his steak. “Right now, Aster’s protection is my top priority. It’s my job to make sure no one is out to get him. Good thing I haven’t recognised any known suspects.”

“Yeah, I haven’t notice any either,” noted Alexis. “Hm? Who’s that?” She asked about the tall, young assassin, who Chazz recognised.

Chazz took a look at Aster’s direction and saw that he was being greeted by the man from earlier. “Oh, that’s Bastion. He’s just a scientist.”

“You know him?”

“Not really, we just met on the elevator on the way here. I doubt we’ll meet again.”

 

Meanwhile, Bastion moved himself to greet Aster once the coast was clear. The tall intellect was watching the discussion with the two rivals, understanding their relationship a bit more. _“Hmm, well if Chazz dislikes Aster Phoenix this much, after tonight he won’t have much of a hassle,”_ Bastion thought as he and the silver-haired youngster shook hands and exchanged greetings.

“I’m sorry to see that fellow treat you in such a way, Mr. Phoenix,” apologised Bastion

“ _Mr?_ Please, just call me Aster,” said the other male. “There’s no need for the formalities.”

“Oh, alright then, Aster.”

“And it’s okay about Chazz, honestly. I saw it coming. From the moment I invited him to this function, I’d knew he’d be that mad. It’s not a big deal, though. He’s always had a temper, especially with me.” Aster took a look over to Chazz in the distance, and smiled. “I try to keep on his good side, but it doesn’t seem he has one when I talk to him.” Shrugging, Aster reached into his pocket to grab his flip-phone, checking for any unread messages.

“Is something the matter?” the older male asked, noticing a slight worry in the other’s face.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” responded the youngster, putting his phone away. “So, pardon my rudeness, but who are you?”

“O-oh, I’m Bastion,” the assassin replied, paying full attention to Aster and his actions.

“Bastion who?” asked Aster, not remembering meeting anyone that went by such a name.

“For privacy and company reasons, I’d rather not disclose on my full name,” he said with a reply he organised as soon as he entered the room. “My work associates sent you a message referring to my visit, I believe. I’m a scientist who works for The Lithmus Association.”

“Oh, yes. I received that message today,” Aster confirmed. “According to them, you have impeccable theories and research that could benefit the future, yet contradict my beliefs. I was really looking forward to talk to you. May we take a seat?”

“Of course,” Saying that, Bastion grabbed his cellphone from his pocket and looked at his newly received message. “Is it fine by you if I make a phone call first?”

“Not a problem, Bastion!” Aster replied, and began to walk towards a nearby table. “Just don’t take too long.”

Bastion nodded at Aster and walked off to a different room, dialling on his phone in private. Placing the phone by his ear, the call was received, and a deep voice spoke on the phone.

“That was quick,” spoke a deep voice.

“Kaiser, what are you doing here?” asked the caller in a serious tone.

“Helping.”

“How so? You were only instructed to deliver the message to Aster Phoenix, you have no other reason to be here. This is not your job.”

In the middle of spying on the young prodigy, Bastion messaged one of his colleagues, who was given the name of ‘Kaiser’ due to his excellent power and leadership skills. He was a few years older than Bastion, an adult that had expertise in assassinations and stealth. At a young age he was fierce but caring, determined to find his real family, whoever they were. During this time, he was given the name of ‘Zane’. However, over the years due to harsh treatment and training, his heart had grown cold, believing the fact that he had no family. He was all alone with nothing but jobs handed over to him, where his reward being the kill was enough to satisfy his needs. His slow change of personality caused everyone to be cautious of him. Due to this new nature, his bosses decided that ‘Zane’ was not good enough of a name, and they changed it to a more meaningful one, ‘Kaiser’.

Bastion was often nervous out of fear when he spoke to the teal-haired man, knowing how dangerous he was. The two got along well before the Kaiser’s change, his previous careful nature made it easier for him to socialise and work with. But as he lost hope and lost his heart, the adult was feared by most of the other hitmen, making him a worthy adversary.

Kaiser was contacted to deliver an urgent message to Aster, stating that a well renowned scientist from the fictional Lithmus Association was wanting to discuss matters science and destiny. This peaked Aster’s interest, having a firm belief on destiny and where fate takes the world. Kaiser also set up a website for the imaginary group, giving much detail on its background, which Aster found quite interesting. This was all that the experienced adult was expected to do, so Bastion was confused as to why he was currently present in the area. He respected and admired Kaiser’s skills and wit, but Kaiser was always finding him trying to intervene on other colleagues work, wanting to take the victim out himself.

“Why do you want to push me away, No-Name?” asked Kaiser, disappointed in the other. “Tsk tsk tsk, may I remind who is the most experienced in this field?”

“Kaiser, I was specifically given this job,” sighed Bastion. “It’s my duty, not yours.”

“But as a rare occurrence, you’re not invisible to everyone. That’s why you needed the message delivered to Phoenix, so your presence wouldn’t be one to suspect. Look, around. What do you see that’s different?”

Bastion peaked his head out of the room to look at the function, trying to take notice of anything different. Widening his eyes, he realised that all bodyguards he counted earlier where missing. Hiding back into the smaller room, Bastion began to question Kaiser.

“You went ahead and tried to take over my work, didn’t you?”

“No, I merely helped. And tell me, No-Name, did you have a plan to eliminate Phoenix’s manager?”

“I wasn’t assigned to kill him, but I had come up with a plan if necessary.”

“Oh? Well, too bad about that.”

“Kaiser? What do you mean?”

**_BANG!_ **

“I already did it for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment if you can!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not very good at fight scenes, as you can tell. I hope to be better at it soon, though.  
> Please add a comment!!
> 
> Warnings for:  
> -death.  
> -violence.  
> -guns.

Not hearing any sort of noise over the phone except for Kaiser’s menacing voice and possibly a gunshot, ‘Bastion’ gripped onto the cellphone anxiously, concerned over the words he heard. “Kaiser, what did you do…?”

The tall blue-haired assassin was near the entrance of the building at ground floor, standing over his newest victim, Sartorius. There were no visibly injuries on the dead body, minus a puncture on the side of his neck. With a blow of a gun hidden in the darkness and the strike of the lethal bullet traced with instant-killing poison, Aster Phoenix’s manager and best friend fell to the ground, dying instantly.  This was the work of Kaiser, who smiled, proud of his work.

“Huh. Some fortune teller,” the hitman spoke through his earpiece, used for communication in work. Mobile phones of any sort were a hassle for him, as he hands needed to be free for work purposes. “Didn’t even see it coming.”

Bastion gritted his teeth. He wasn’t given an answer, but it as clear enough. Kaiser killed Sartorius without permission, which bothered the younger assassin. “Kaiser! Leave the premises now! This was never your job. Take over someone’s else, not mine.”

“Aw, and what would be in the fun in that, No-Name?” Kaiser questioned. “I do things my own way, I won’t listen to some nameless orphan.”

Bastion gripped onto his phone tighter and clenched the other. The analyst knew family was a sensitive subject for ruthless killer, so he dared not to mention it to the other. However, mentions of family made Bastion upset too, as it did for many of those who were taken in at the residence he stayed. Despite his unknown origins, the truly unnamed male had accepted his caretakers, the owners of the mansion, as his guardians.

He became attached to them as a child when found by them. As the years went on, his guardians were more focused on work and taking in other orphans, but Bastion didn’t mind. He was taken care of by workers and soon learned how to take care of himself. Cooking, cleaning, studying… The many workers hired were still available to do Bastion’s needs as they worked for everyone in the household, but Bastion found no need to bother their already busy schedule. He also had help learning to mature by his older friend Tania, who had been with him since he came in. The two were best friends, and Bastion sees her as a supportive, older sister whom he loved very much.

Bastion wished to uncover the origins of his past family, but any topic of the such was deemed as illegal where he resided, and the black-haired male would never dare to dream of disobeying his bosses. Despite accepting them as his family, Bastion knew they could be ruthless tyrants and had control over anyone they had taken in.

“W-what did you just call me….?!” stuttered the caller, deepening his voice to express his hatred towards the term given to him by Kaiser.

“Must I repeat myself all the time? You’re a nameless orphan.”

“N-No, I’m not!”

“Oh, you mean you have a name now?”

“N-no… But I will soon! That still doesn’t give you the right to call me such acidulous words!”

“Ohh, does someone dislike being called a nameless orphan?”

“Obviously, yes! I’m not an orphan!”

Bastion quickly glanced at his surroundings, making sure nobody was confused at his sudden raised voice. Nobody paid attention, so his ‘invisibility’ skill was working. A relief for the legally-nameless assassin. Kaiser, while listening to his co-worker’s statements, picked up Sartorius from the ground and merely laughed in amusement.

“Not an orphan? No-Name, we’re all orphans under our bosses’ rule. Unless… God, don’t tell me.”

“W-what…?”

“You actually consider them to be family?!”

Bastion gulped as he heard the other laughed. There was no denying it, he saw his bosses as his guardians, and would do anything they told him to do out of obedience and love. This drove Kaiser into hysterics, which annoyed Bastion and caused him to talk over the other’s laughter.

“Kaiser. Leave,” spoke the analyst, annoyed. “Go home, report and leave me alone. I-I have stuff to do, and…Stop laughing!!”

Kaiser ignored the other and continued to laugh, making Bastion cut the call. Placing his phone away, he sighed. _“Why must Kaiser be so insensitive?”_ the male began to think. _“I understand his sudden change in personality…I saw it develop with my own eyes. It was rather painless to talk to Zane…But Kaiser, he's a completely different person.”_

Bastion looked around to where he saw Aster last and realised that the celebrity was missing. Disappointed in his lack of paying attention to his subject, the hitman’s first theory was that the Phoenix had entered the nearby bathroom. He noticed that there weren’t many large gatherings in the local space, which were usually caused by Aster’s appearance. There wasn’t any commotion by Chazz either, who had a strong dislike for the young prodigy.

_“Well, Chazz…,”_ though Bastion, looking over at the acquaintance he had met previously. _“If you despise Mr. Phoenix that much, today is your lucky day.”_

Bastion was about to enter the male-assigned bathrooms, his cellphone began to ring once more. Picking up the phone and answering, the assassin angrily spoke.

“What?!”

“Oh,” responded the caller,who was Kaiser once again. “If you really do love our bosses so, so much, how about you prove it?”

“Huh…?” responded Bastion, confused at his co-worker’s words. “Kaiser, what sort of fixture are you planning?”

“Oh, no, no….” replied the caller, giving a small laugh. “Prove your love to them. Tonight. Go up to that kid and give him a brutal beating. Knives, fists…you name it.”

“K-Kaiser!” spoke the shocked assassin. He had never killed anyone in such a way before. It was always clean or slightly messy, as it was best to get the job over and done with. He rarely brought weapons such as knives anyway. His limits were small weapons, like guns, poison or his bare fists for convenience. “You know my work is done with simplicity and refinement! I will do no such act.”

“Mm, but if you give him a bloody beating, think about how proud _they_ will be.” Kaiser put emphasis on ‘they’, making sure Bastion knew exactly who he was talking about. “You know they love torture and pain inflicted on others. Maybe you should follow their footsteps and give it your all…” Kaiser’s words came from his sadistic personality gained from his loss of hope, making him tease the legally unnamed male.

The younger assassin wasn’t going to allow the other’s words get to him. He knew he was better than that, focusing on the job more than brutality. Although impressing his bosses was a worthy thought, it just wasn’t right.

“We’re done talking, Kaiser…” said Bastion on the phone, ending the call and placing his device away in his pocket. Knowing that Kaiser would dispose of Sartorius’ body with ease, Bastion proceeded to the bathroom. He walked in to find his subject gripping onto a bathroom sink, head facing downwards. Aster Phoenix's hair was a mess, not as neat as tidy was it always was in public. The assassin found this concerning, but approached young prodigy slowly. He stopped in his tracks however when Aster spoke.

“Nice of you to join, Bastion,” spoke Aster, his voice cracking. It appeared that he was crying before, and was just recovering. “Kinda a bad time, though.” He rose his head and looked in the bathroom mirror, checking for any more tears. His face was dry, which he was thankful for. However, his hair was still messy, so he reached for a comb he conveniently kept in his pocket. The silver-haired youth began fixing up his hair, making sure it looked as perfect as he wanted it to be.

As Bastion watched Aster fix himself up, he began to talk, curious about the state of the prodigy. “Excuse me, Aster,” he said. “Is everything alright?”

Not taking his eyes off himself in the mirror, Aster was still focused on styling his hair. He spoke however, not wanting to be rude. “Bastion. Have you seen Sartorius, my manager?” he asked.

Bastion blinked. It was a sudden question, irrelevant to Bastion’s own. He went along with it, however. “That tall man you were with earlier? He left the premises.”

“Hmm. And tell me, Bastion. Who killed him?”

Bastion blinked quickly, surprised at Aster’s second question. How did he find out so soon? Was the Kaiser being spied on during his secret kill?  “W-what do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean.”

In a flash, the young Phoenix held a small pistol to the hitman’s head, giving him a resentful stare. Bastion stood still and looked up at the firearm facing him, not showing a single sign of fear. In fact, he was quite calm. Although it was unexpected for the youth to threaten someone with a firearm, Bastion was used to such things from past work experiences and training. In his research, the tall male knew that Aster Phoenix was skilled in many activities such as athletics and archery, so gunmanship wasn’t a big surprise. He knew to be careful, considering the prodigy’s health and stamina.

“Just then, I felt a sudden wave of immense pain, both emotional and physical. Sartorius taught me that the most unbearable pain will occur if you lose someone special in your life. Someone you have bonded with. Losing their soul is like losing your own. You become incomplete.” Aster closed his eyes to distract himself from the pain, and opened them up again, fiercely staring at Bastion. “Now. Who killed my best friend?”

“Bonds are more of a psychological subject mixed in with emotions,” stated Bastion, not showing any sympathy for the other. “While yes, friendships are real and can affect every aspect of—“

“Shut up!!”

Aster’s hand began shaking as he held onto the gun. He had never threatened anyone like this before, not with the intention to kill, at least. The young prodigy had never been in a situation where guns were involved except for private training, and they were for defence. But losing his manager and a close friend had gotten to Aster, and he wasn’t going to let the murderer get away.

“Who killed him? Hmm? Come on, Bastion! You’re the  _only_ guest that I’ve never met previously, you’re still practically a stranger. And besides, that phone call of yours was way too long…”

Bastion took this moment to quickly grab onto Aster’s wrist, picking him up with just one grip. He forcefully removed the pistol from the other’s grip with his other hand and threw him on the ground. Taking a few spaces back, he heavily stepped onto Aster’s legs and arms, making the silver-haired youth groan in pain. This was to ensure the Phoenix would stay down and never rise again.

“If your manager was really a certified fortune teller, he would’ve saw his death coming and avoided it,” stated Bastion, placing himself onto Aster, who was on his back. “Future predictions can only work through scientific evidence and statistics, not some mind game.” Placing the stolen pistol against Aster’s forehead, Bastion continued to speak. “You say everything goes according to destiny and fate, right? Then was your manager’s death ‘fate’?”

Despite his agonizing pain, Aster struggled to fight back, pushing his head upwards to bite at Bastion’s hand. Bastion flinched, but immediately gave Aster a punch with his free hand in return, forcing the gun onto the youth’s forehead once more.

As Bastion was about to take a shot with a final blow, Kaiser’s words began to spread through the analyst’s head, distracting him.

_“Prove your love to them.”_

_“…Give him a brutal beating.”_

_“…Think about how proud they will be.”_

“I won’t…” muttered Bastion, loud enough for his victim to hear. Aster raised a brow, confused at the other’s statements, before he realised that Bastion looked concerned and confused, thinking to himself. He saw this as an opportunity to fight back.

Aster, used all his force into his back and injured arms to push his upper body upwards, grabbing onto Bastion’s hair at the back and pulling him backwards, catching the assassin off-guard. The intense pain Bastion received caused him to groan and lose grip of the shotgun, which Aster caught in his other hand. Purposely missing the target by an inch, Aster shot a bullet with his pistol, hitting the wall ahead. The sudden gunshot startled Bastion, quickly rising off Aster, which was perfect for the smaller male to slide out and attempt to stand.

He wasn’t able to stand up straight, as his legs were still in immense pain from Bastion’s previous attack. Despite the pain and wobbly legs, Aster was confident enough to fight back. He looked up ahead and noticed that the assassin was nowhere to be seen. Only the bathroom sinks, toilets and small hole in the wall from the gunshot earlier. He quickly figured out Bastion’s plan and turned around, but it wasn’t fast enough.

Bastion, who was behind the injured youth, wrapped his arms around the other’s neck and torso, making him difficult to escape. The black-haired male pulled Aster towards his body, making it difficult for him to breathe. Aster managed to spit out a few words, however.

“W-who a-are you working for??” he stuttered from lack of oxygen. “A-and d-don’t give me s-some bullshit c-company, either…”

Bastion sighed. It was unusual for his opponent’s to be still alive at this time to ask questions, as he would go unnoticed during work, with the rare occurrence of being sighted. This was only a slight error in his calculations however, which he didn’t mind. There was always room for improvement, more room for formulaic equations to help get the job done.

“Oh, just your rivalling company…” said Bastion, revealing who he worked for. The hitman didn’t mind giving out a secret to someone he was going to kill, considering nobody else would find out. Hearing this, Aster’s eyes slightly opened, before giving a small smirk.

“…That pathetic lot? T-They’ve gone s-so low to s-send one o-of their servants t-to take c-care of me-…!!!”

**_BANG!_ **

“…They’re not pathetic.”

Bastion spoke deeply in response to Aster’s mockery after giving him a low to the head quickly with his own pistol he stored carefully in his sock. He didn’t let go of the body until he was sure that Aster was dead, and despite doing the job, the same repetitive words from Kaiser echoed through Bastion’s head.

_“Prove your love…”_

_“…Proud…”_

Bastion knew he didn’t have to prove anything to know that he’ll still be protected and taken care of in his home. His bosses took him in, after all, and helped trained him to work for them in return. It was a fair trade to Bastion, and they surely knew he loved them, right?

“…Right…?”

These last few years of being independent and distant from his guardians were giving him doubting thoughts. This moment wasn’t the only one, either. It had been occurring randomly among the years, making the assassin unsure of his status to his guardians. Bastion relied on having some sort of family to cope, despite his independency. He knew Tania would always stick by his side, but what about his guardians? The ones he considered his  _parents?_

“I-I want them to be proud of me…” Bastion spoke softly, returning a comment to his thoughts. What Aster called him earlier, a ‘servant’…That was beginning to run through Bastion’s mind as well. He wasn’t a servant, was he? _"No, I'm family, doing my job! Doing my part for my family’s name!"_ That’s what Bastion always believed, and it must be true. Both Kaiser’s and the Phoenix’s words however wouldn’t stop, and were contradicting with the young male’s beliefs, making him very confused and startled.

Trying to escape the thoughts, the assassin threw the dead body nearby and kicked it forcefully against the nearby wall. He was too stressed to figure out his issues with calculations, which generally did the job. His brain only focused on beating out his emotions and thoughts onto a lifeless body, giving it several kicks against the wall. They were quick yet powerful, thanks for Bastion’s extensive knowledge and training in martial arts. After giving a few more kicks, Bastion threw a powerful punch at Aster’s head, breaking the jaw, with a few teeth flying out. Allowing the body to fall to the ground, the male assassin took deep breaths, watching the lifeless Phoenix collapse.

Bastion stared at the corpse, taking note of its injuries. He bent down to pick up the body and carried it, taking a few more breaths. He opened the bathroom door slightly, taking a look at the possibility of witnessing spotting his doing. It was Bastion’s job to clean up his mess and leave zero evidence of any murder, and to dispose the body as quickly as possible. Noting his surroundings, the assassin quickly calculated a perfect escape plan, assuming the Kaiser was still present. Walking back into the bathroom and closing the door, he dialled Kaiser’s number and received an immediate response.

“Disposal time?” spoke the receiver. Bastion could just see Kaiser’s menacing grin just by hearing his voice, which made him uncomfortable.

“Yes,” replied the analyst. “Be here quick…-YAH!!”

The bathroom door quickly opened to reveal Kaiser, already present at the scene. “Heh. It appears I’m on schedule. Scaredy-cat.”

“G-give a warning, next time…And I-I wasn’t scared…” stuttered Bastion, hanging up his call and placing his phone away. “Here.” He offered Aster Phoenix’ body to Kaiser, which Kaiser accepted.

“Nice, you actually gave him so-…”

“Don’t mention it, Kaiser,” interrupted Bastion. “Apologies for interrupting, but just get rid of the corpse. I have to report.”

“Alright,” responded Kaiser. “But remember, _they’ll_ see the result.”

“I know that.”

\---

“So, it’s ‘Bastion’ now?”

“Well, it’s not an official name, Tania. I just had to think of one for safety reasons.”

“Despite the laws?”

“Despite the laws.”

It was the following day, and the analyst had returned home after his duties. After Kaiser and Bastion left the party hosted by the late Aster Phoenix, Kaiser had disposed of the body along with Sartorius’s. No one knows how he does it, as it kept it a secret to himself. However, every corpse the taller assassin has disposed of has never been found since. The remaining party-goers were given a message by Bastion beforehand, alerting everyone that the party was called off due to Aster Phoenix grew sick due to food-poisoning, and that he had called the police to investigate. Everyone was worried but believed in Bastion’s message and began to head home.

Bastion had been telling Tania of his work, leaving out details such as Kaiser’s interference and the sudden violent outburst given to Aster’s lifeless body for safety reasons. He merely spoke of the name he gave himself for the mean time and what meeting Aster Phoenix was like.

“But why such a name?” asked Tania, who was walking with her best friend towards the kitchen, where the two planned to get some food.

“I don’t know…” responded the black-haired male. “I was thinking about the name you given me, ‘Bass’, and ended up...thinking of Bastion.”

“And do you like it?”

“Yes…, but I cannot get too attached to it. It’s not an official name, after all.”

“That’s _bullshit._ ”

“Huh...?”

The two entered one of the many large kitchens in the mansion, and was interrupted by various chefs who offered to cook Tania’s and Bastion’s meals.

“Uh, sorry. But I can make my own lunch, thank you,” said ‘Bass’, declining the offer.

“Yeah, we can take it from here, boys,” responded Tania, smiling at the workers.

“Are you sure?” questioned on of the cooks. “It is our job to serve you, after all.”

“It’s perfectly fine,” stated the black-haired male. “You all deserve a break for working so hard.”

“A-A break?” asked one of the other chefs. “B-but, we could get in trouble if we slacked off!”

“Taking a break isn’t slacking off,” said the un-named male. “You all must be very tired, you should rest.”

“But what about Mister-…”

“Not to worry. You have no need to fear them. I’ll get someone to make sure you’re not caught.”

“Thank you, sir, uh…”

“Sorry, he’s Un-Named,” spoke Tania, seeing that the cooks were trying to think of her friend’s non-existent name. “But go on, go take a rest! We won’t damage any of your fine ware, promise.”

The chefs thanked the two once again and proceeded to leave the kitchen to take a well-deserved rest. The two friends began to grab food from the fridge. Tania took an apple for the meantime, while the other grabbed some vegetables and some cutlery.

“You’re too nice, Bastion,” commented Tania, taking a bite out of her apple.

“Tania, that’s…not my real name…” he whispered, concerned for Tania’s comment.

“Well, if you like it, I like it. Besides. You do deserve a name by now, don’t you think?”

“I only should deserve a name once the Mister’s decide it’s time.”

“Oh my God, Bastion!” Tania laughed. “You’re almost an adult and you still refer to our bosses as the Misters? Please!”

“It’s only polite…” said Bastion as he moved to the sink to wash his vegetables. The young male believed it was polite to address his guardians with proper respect. They were his caretakers after all.

“Well, I for one, don’t care about the naming rule. Especially when it comes to my dear friend,” spoke Tania, taking more bites out of her apple. “If you like the name, I’m calling you Bastion.”

Hearing this, Bastion smiled and slightly blushed, appreciating Tania’s words. “Thank you, Tania… I really do like the name…”

“And it suits you too! I can’t tell why, but you are definitely ‘Bastion!’” Tania stated, smiling at her best friend.

Bastion thanked her again as he grabbed the washed and peeled vegetables and walked to the kitchen bench, placing them onto the cutting board. Taking a look at Tania finish her apple and grabbing another from the fridge to eat, he frowned. Tania saw this, and began to question Bastion.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked, curious about his sudden frown.

“You’re…eating another one…?” he asked.

“Yeah, why…?” she asked, confused before realising what the matter was. “God, Bastion! Didn’t you know? Some people like fruit! Your smart nerdy brain surely can figure that out!”

“I understand that they’re healthy for the body but, they’re just so…nasty…”

Ever since he was taken in, Bastion has had a deep dislike for the taste of fruit and many other sweet foods. No one, not even Tania could make the analyst eat fruit enjoyably, despite her best efforts. He instead, favoured vegetables for any meal. Tania was the opposite, favouring in fruit and various meats as her choice of dish.

“They’re good! Especially these ones…. C’mon Bastion, try one!”

“No.”

“It’s delicious!”

“Apples are disgusting. Just leave me with my vegetables, thank you.”

Tania laughed as Bastion proceeded to make his meal, which took a short time. He made stir fry, which he shared with Tania later on, who favoured the bits of meat placed into the meal. After they finished eating and cleaned up, they left the kitchen, heading downstairs to reach their personal training room.

“Oh, Tania!” smiled Bastion as the two walked together. “You usually always speak about your work as soon as you return. Will you share your story today?”

Tania stopped in her tracks and gave Bastion a look, as if to say she was disappointed in Bastion’s question. This was rare, as she was always happy to talk about her work and how she succeeded with might. But this time, she seemed rather annoyed with her friend, which confused Bastion.

“Tania…?”

“Don’t…bring it up,” replied the tall woman, sighing.

“Huh?” Bastion tilted his head. “Did you…No. You didn’t fail, did you?”

“Of course not!” responded Tania, harshly. “I just…don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay, understood.”

The two headed off to their training room, keeping away from the subject of Tania’s last given job. Bastion was quite curious as to why his friend was upset over it, but he knew it was best to drop it. He didn’t want to annoy or upset his best friend, and they two both had to focus on training in the meantime. Tania was fortunate for Bastion’s kindness, as she didn’t ever want to talk about what had happened the other day.

After all, she lied.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought we should explore Chazz's life a little more. Give more explanation to his story.  
> Made some edits and I really did not want Jesse/Johan to be Southern. So I kept him Scandinavian with his cute voice. And I'm too attached to 'Kenzan' as a name, so the dino-boy has it as a nickname.
> 
> I hope this works. It is an 'AU', after all.
> 
> Comments and thoughts are appreciated!

_“Chazz. Wake up…”_

_“You’ll be late for the orientation…”_

_“What kind of a slacker are you, refusing to be present at the most important stage of your life?”_

_“It’s time, Chazz. Time for you to truly become a member of the family…”_

**“No!!”**

The young male immediately woke up, sitting up in his bed, taking several breaths. He was recovering from one of his many nightmares that came and went throughout his days. He tried not to let his dreams get to him, but they were always terrifying and would result in the boy waking up and trembling, making sure he was awake and safe in his dorm room.

Chazz lived and attended at Pride Academy, a boarding school for elites that had a future in any successful career, whether it’d be arts, construction work, hairdressing or even game design.  There were various subjects to choose from depending on what career you desired, as well as the regular classes such as language study and mathematics. As the name suggested, the school took pride in all and any desires for students, but also took pride in their reputation for having the most successful graduates to become well-known scholars with high grades from all over the world.

Many international students came to study there and become Grade-A students, if they had the money. Despite the Academy welcoming any student with open arms, it came at a price. The school’s facilities were top-notch and were costly, so a very expensive on-going fee was required. To stick to their reputation, Pride Academy had a few rules that were constantly enforced. Showing up on time, always wearing the uniform with pride and correctly, and also strictly no slacking off were just _few_ of the many rules that the boarding school had. Students were allowed to leave campus on certain conditions, such as attending shopping centres to gather supplies for individual projects such as clubs or groups, or to purchase lunch from many of the fine vendors nearby that were also quite costly.

It was Chazz’s final year at Pride Academy, as he was graduating towards the end of the year. He had been attending at the school since childhood, where his family supported his expenses. Over the last few years however, he cut himself off from his own family, not wanting to associate anyone who shared his blood. The spiky-haired teen did however, have a large sum of money from his savings he kept over the years, and that as enough to help pay his final costs at Pride Academy. That and his secret job as a spy paid nicely, too.

Chazz removed himself from his bed, which was in his large dorm room. He was grateful that he didn’t have to share with a roommate, as his reaction from his awful dream would’ve been embarrassing. That and he wasn’t fond of sharing spaces.

Walking over to his personal bathroom, he switched the light on to see himself in the mirror. Messy hair and wearing his blue-striped pajamas, Chazz frowned at his reflection. Turning on the bathroom sink and letting it run until hot water developed, the teen grabbed a dishcloth and wet it, washing his face.  Turning the tap off, Chazz wiped his face with a dry towel and didn’t bother to look in the bathroom again, leaving. He entered the bedroom and collapsed himself onto the bed, taking a glance at the alarm clock nearby.

“4AM...Seriously?” mumbled Chazz, frustrated. “Class in in two hours…, I was hoping for an actual good night’s sleep this time…” Turning to lay on his back, he stared at the ceiling and continued to talk to himself.

“Today I have Math, Japanese and English. A break, then Law and ugh, Physical Education… Despite my job, I only took P.E to be better with athletics but I hate it. I’m not athletic, so what? I’m still quick on my feet and can move when I want to. But playing sports that can strain my body easily? I’d rather do an extra hour of Math…”

Chazz took Physical Education as he believed it would help his future of becoming a detective in the force. It was his biggest desire, his biggest _dream_ to work as a detective. Ever since childhood the male had been fond of crime and fictional detectives, collecting novels, movies, TV series, even video games that involved solving crimes. Chazz knew that the top crime-fighters would look for someone in expert shape, unfortunately Chazz wasn’t ideally athletic. He had the energy to do what was required for his secret job, but could not last long in the sporting field, no matter how hard he tried. He hated getting sticky and sweaty as well, so that added onto his reasons to dislike P.E.

“Good thing I don’t have anyone annoying in class today, beside those gym junkies in P.E. They’re so unforgiving when it comes to sports…Me and that copycat kid Dimitri are the only skinny guys there, and that idiot pretends to be one of the muscular guys! Ugh, I have to deal with him, too….”

The boy’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden knocking heard from outside his door. This slightly startled Chazz, confused as to why anyone would be knocking at this hour. Slowly removing himself from the bed, Chazz sighed in annoyance and walked to the door. Who on Earth would be awake at this hour to annoy him, anyway?

Opening the door, Chazz widened his eyes to see one of his classmates, Jesse Anderson. He was an international student from Scandinavia, who moved to Pride Academy. His voice was feminine, but identified as male. He had blue hair and had a uniform styled differently from Chazz’s due to his status of being a foreigner. Chazz didn’t mind him, however he knew that Jesse was friends with the slacker of Idler High School, Jaden Yuki, who was Chazz’s rival when it came to competitive games. Their unique closeness bugged the spiky-haired teen, but it was unknown as to why.

“Jesse? What is it?” asked Chazz behind his door, which was slightly opened.

“It’s work,” replied the Scandinavian, showing concern in his face, which was easily seen despite the darkness of the early morning.

“Work? Look, I still think Aster is alive!” responded Chazz. “We’re still investi-…”

“It’s no use.”

“Huh?”

Jesse sighed and closed his eyes. He too was working for the same agency Chazz worked for, which was kept secret to all except fellow work mates. The Scandinavian was invited to join after moving to Japan, the agency knowing he had incredible agility and perseverance. It was Alexis’ idea after witnessing Jesse’s skills, despite her being against openly inviting just anyone to their agency. Jesse was also quick on his feet to gather any sorts of information required for the job, and was happy to help work with anything, thanks to his kindness and dislike of bad guys.

“Listen. Aster’s body has been found.”

“He’s finally been found?” asked Chazz, before stepping back s space, horror filling his eyes. “Wait…d-did you just say _…body…?”_

Jesse nodded and sighed, not happy with the information he was giving Chazz. “Unfortunately, yes. Chazz, you failed to keep a close eye on him, and… Hey!”

Chazz immediately grabbed onto Jesse’s uniform, gripping onto the collar. “Y-you’re just messing with me! T-there’s no way Aster Phoenix was murdered out of our sights!”

“You were there, Chazz. Ya had to of known something was fishy, right? Didn’t ya say someone addressed everyone that Aster was sick?” Jesse asked, being released from Chazz’s grip.

“Yeah, so what?”

“Ya think he could be a suspect?”

“Please, all the information we have on that guy is that he’s a scientist and his name is Bastion,” Chazz sighed. “Besides, I already researched on any ‘Bastion’s’. None of them matched to be him.”

“Ya think he could’ve faked a name?”

“Against the law? Pfft, only an idiot with a suicide wish would dare do that. You know the consequences of not having a name.”

“True, true.”

The two stood there in silence, not knowing what else to say to each other. Jesse wasn’t sure on how to continue the conversation, and Chazz waited for the other to speak, not wanting to talk anymore.

“Well, uh…. Oh! Look at the time!” said Jesse, taking a look at his phone’s clock. “Class is soon….”

“Yeah, why the Hell did you alert me so early about work anyway, Blue-Hair?”

“’Cos! Uhm, uh…. Oh, ain’t this a hoot…”

“Leave The Chazz’s dorm, Jesse! I have sleep to catch up on, immediately.”

“Oh, right. Well, seeya!”

As Jesse left the other’s dorm, Chazz closed the door and fell onto his bed. “Hm. If I ever find that English-sounding scientist, The Chazz will definitely question him. Like a true detective…”

\---

It was later in the day, and all students of Pride Academy were seated in the Assembly Hall, ready to listen to their Chancellor, Doctor Vellian Crowler. The tall head of the school was blonde and often wore a ponytail, which would confuse some of the students in terms of his gender. However, Dr. Crowler would tell his students to call him ‘Doctor’, instead of trying to decide whether to call him ‘Miss’ or Mister’, but to use ‘he/him’ pronouns as well.

“Now, students of Pride Academy,” spoke the Doctor, who approached the podium with pride. “As you may all know, the InterSchool Competitive Games are coming up, and you all know what that means.”

“Yeah, it means we’ll wipe out those slackers at Idler High,” Chazz muttered under his breath, smirking at his own thoughts. He sat near the front row, being a Senior, and with his crush, Alexis to hear him.

“Chazz. Shh!” said Alexis, telling her friend to be quiet. She always sat next to Chazz, as well as her two other friends, Jasmine and Mindy. Jasmine had brown hair with silver eyes and was often protective of her friends, not ready to deal with any nonsense that would come her way. Mindy had silver hair and brown eyes, and was often cheery and crushed on a lot of boys.

“For once, can you mind not to speak during Assembly, Chazz?” whispered Jasmine harshly, folding her arms in annoyance.

“C’mon Jasmine, he only spoke once…” replied Mindy, feeling sorry for the boy.

“Alright, yeesh,” said Chazz, who decided to remain quiet during the assembly.

Chancellor Crowler spoke of the InterSchool Comp and Idler High, calling the school’s students ‘slackers’ and ‘dropouts’, and how Pride Academy were going to destroy the opposing school with their excellence. However, the Chancellor was cut-off by a shorter male walking on screen, waving at the students seated. He had brown and orange hair with a feckled-covered face. He wore red, his favourite colour, and had a cheery personality. He was accompanied by two other students, wearing yellow. A smaller student who wore glasses and had blue hair walked with a taller, but younger boy with dark skin, dreadlocks and a bandana which represented a carnivorous dinosaur.

“Now, there’s no reason to give us a bad rep, teach!”

These three were Jaden Yuki, Syrus Truesdale and Tyranno Hassleberry, also known as Kenzan. They were representatives from Idler High, who were guests to deliver a few messages from their school. This idea was suggested by their own headmaster, Chancellor Sheppard, who was a good friend with Crowler. The idea agitated the blond Doctor, but agreed to it eventually. Seeing the guest walk and talk on stage without permission, who grew angry.

“N-now, who gave you permission to speak, slacker?” asked Crowler furiously, pointing at the red-wearing student. Jaden Yuki just smiled as he walked to the podium, removing the microphone from the other’s hand.

“C’mon, you’re not telling these guys the good stuff about us from Idler!” said Jaden, facing the crowd. “Hey guys! I’m Jaden! And these two are my best buds, Syrus and Hassleberry!”

“Of course, he means I’m his best friend,” snickered Syrus. “He just doesn’t want you to look bad, Kenzan.”

“What was that?!” asked the dreadlocked teen . Since they met, the two have had a feud over who is the bestest friend for Jaden, and have been fighting for that position ever since, unbeknownst to Jaden.

Seeing the trio up on stage, Chazz made a disgusted look on his face. Seeing his rival up on stage made him angry; this wasn’t Jaden’s place, this wasn’t his school. Alexis looked at him and gave him a concerned look, as if to say “Don’t get mad, they’re here as guests”, which made Chazz sigh and fold his arms to calm himself down.

“Anyway, hey guys!” said Jaden on stage. “Sup? You all look fancy as ever, wearing those uniforms. We get to choose our uniforms colour, pretty cool, huh? Ahem, anyway. Uh…” He looked over to his two friends, asking for help. “What am I supposed to say again?”

“Uh, the games?” responded Syrus.

“Oh, right! Thanks, Sy.” Jaden nodded and turned to face the crowd. “Now, uh, the games. Yes! I hope we’ll all make new friends and face old ones, and have some serious fun! I’m looking at you, Chazz!” Jaden pointed downwards towards the raven-haired teen.

“What?” said Chazz, before realising he was called out by his rival. “What about me, huh?”

“This year, we’ll truly see who gets to be the greatest of all games. Got that, Chazzy?”

“Don’t call me that!” Chazz slightly blushed, embarrassed at the nickname his rival delivered to him in front of thousands of students. Fortunately, not many of them seemed to care. “But you’re on, and well all know it’s The Chazz who’ll be the victor!”

“Alright, that’s enough!” announced the Chancellor, snatching the microphone out of Jaden’s hands, who replied with a small ‘Ouch’. “That’s enough from our…guests… Now, you know how Idler’s students act, so be prepared for the big week! And…Chazz?”

“Oh, yes, Chanchellor??” asked the teen.

“See me after Assembly, ASAP.”

\----

“Of course, Chancellor Crowler! I’ll defeat that slacker and make him go crying back to mommy.”

“Good. Just remember Chazz, we must not let this Academy’s name go to shame. I’m counting on you, young boy.”

“I won’t let you down.”

“Right. Dismissed.”

The conversation between the student and the headmaster was short and quick, but the message was clearly given. It was Chazz’s duty to wipe out the competition and to make sure Pride Academy would take back what was rightfully theirs; Victory. Every year, Pride Academy were long-running victors of the InterSchool Comp, until Jaden Yuki enrolled into Idler. Ever since then, he and his friends had been winning the Games, making Crowler furious. Good thing he has Chazz, who was the best at games at activities in his school. He didn’t mind representing the school for honour and pride, but as he left Crowler’s office, he began to frown, feeling rather uneasy from the talk.

Luckily, just outside waiting was Alexis, ready to talk to him.

“So, just the usual talk?”

“Yeah, the usual.”

“What’s up, Chazz? You seem rather…down?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing,” he lied.

“Chazz, come on. I know you. What’s the matter?”

The boy sighed. Might as well tell, right?

“It’s just… I don’t mind being told about my role here but, the way Crowler spoke to me is just way too reminiscent…”

“What do you mean…?”

“It just reminds me of…. _them_ …”

“Oh…”

Alexis gave a concerned look to her friend, and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean to make you feel that way, Chazz. He doesn’t know all the details about your family, it’s okay.” She knew this was a sensitive topic and didn’t want to drag it on, for Chazz’s sake.

“They’re _not_ my family…”

“R-right, sorry…”

“It’s okay, Lex. Really, it is. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome Chazz. I’m always here if you ever need someone to talk to.” Alexis removed her hand from Chazz’s shoulder and began to walk off.

“Hey, where are you going, Alexis?” asked a curious male.

“I gotta go check on Atticus. I haven’t seen him all day.”

Chazz frowned at his crush’s response, sighing. “Uh, Alexis…” he said, looking at the ground in sadness. “Atticus isn’t… _here,_ remember…?”

Alexis froze on her place, realising what Chazz had said. “O-oh, yeah. Of course…he’s not…here…”

“But it’s okay. A-Atticus would’ve appreciated it…”

“Y-yeah… Chazz, I’m gonna go… I need to, leave…and be alone…”

“I understand. If you need me, you have my number okay?”

“Okay...”

Alexis left to her room, not wanting to cry in front of her friend. Chazz knew what his friend was going to do, and respected her wishes to be alone. It’s never easy to cope with a loved one’s death.

A few years ago, Alexis’ older brother, Atticus Rhodes suddenly disappeared from Pride Academy, in his final year. There had been many investigations over his sudden disappearance, but with no success. Chazz, determined to find his crush’s brother and his best friend, began a search of his own. He spent weeks doing his own independent investigations without rest. Barely eating, rarely sleeping.

He was stopped by Alexis, who although was still recovering from her family member’s disappearance, wanted to help. After allowing Chazz to rest and restore his energy over a few days, Alexis decided to help with the search. Chazz was already offered a job at a secret spy agency known as ‘Detection Among, International’ (DAI for short) due to his brilliant scores and impressive interview with the intelligence agency.

However, he only then decided that he was only going to join if they accepted Alexis Rhodes into the organisation, in order to help improve their searches for Atticus.

Alexis was accepted with ease by herself, though. Chazz’s request was useless.

Ever since their employment, Chazz and Alexis had been working to find Atticus, doing their hardest to find the missing student. Working alongside with their school work, the two friends took care of each other and grew closer, understanding each other more. The two helped each other cope with Atticus’ disappearance, as some days they could not take the challenge to get through the day, especially Alexis. On days they could though, they tried their very best to use all their free time to find the missing male.

Until one day, Chazz made a horrifying discovery.

With the help of Jesse Anderson, who was enlisted in DAI beforehand, the raven-haired male had finally found his old friend.

Dead.

The body was found rotting away, covered in dirt and miscellaneous bugs, eating away the corpse. It was a most horrifying site, one that put the two students in shock and horror. After needing to be taken away by grief workers from DAI, Chazz eventually told Alexis the horrifying news she never wanted to hear. Although she did not see the dead body of her beloved brother, the result affected her immensely, leaving her in shock and silence for several weeks. Chazz was slowly recovering, as was Alexis, but both would never get over losing someone so important.

When the two were stable enough to begin work again, they were assigned to investigate the meaning of Atticus’ death and who caused it. It was a sensitive subject for them both, especially for Alexis, but they were determined to find the killer and question him for what he’s done.

If other jobs were assigned, they were the first priority. This was due to The Case of Atticus Rhodes being lengthy and incomplete. This bothered Chazz, but a job was a job, and he was going to do everything told. He was capable of doing anything DAI gave him to do, along with schoolwork Pride Academy gave out.

Chazz was capable of anything, and will do anything to get the job done.

And it was time to start his new case.

And his first step, was to find a scientist he had acquainted himself with earlier.


	5. Chapter 5

A break from work. A simple award that ‘Bastion’ had earned from his completed assignment. Erasing Aster Phoenix was a task that took longer than usual, but he got the job done, and that’s what mattered. His bosses were pleased, but expected success from the calculating assassin, as he had never failed a single job.

Whether the boy was not indulged in his own studies or training with Tania, he would take his free time to walk into the outside world, roaming the city nearby. Usually, he’d do this with Tania, acting as ‘normal’ people would in the city. It was risky enough that they talked to each other about work freely, but they wouldn’t dare risk such a discussion in public. They two knew very well that the city-dwellers had different lives with different social norms, so they spoke of their own personal interests.

However, Bastion was going into the city alone this time. His friend suddenly left back to Romania, same destination as her last assignment, without a single word. Bastion found this strange, as it had only been a couple of days, but he knew Tania could take of herself. She was the strongest person he knew who could take on anyone she faced.

The teen arrived at the city, wearing a casual yellow jacket with a pale green shirt underneath, black trackpants to match, along with black sneakers. He carried a backpack with him, along with his wallet, as he planned to spoil himself. Bastion hadn’t been to the city for a while, and had saved up his money for this moment. Being an assassin is a pretty big deal when it comes to money, so his savings had quite a large amount. He had always wanted to do this, ever since he and Tania once saw a married couple carry what seemed like over 30 shopping bags full of expensive goods. They became curious with the idea. The male would’ve liked to use his money with Tania, but she was busy. That and she already did a shopping spree on her own months back when Bastion was on a mission in America.

The boy didn’t mind some alone time every now and then, anyway.

Once in the middle of the city, Bastion took a look around, gazing upon the large building before him. “KC CENTRE” was displayed in huge letter at the front. It was named after Seto Kaiba, the CEO of his famous gaming company, KaibaCorp, and their development in advanced technology.

However, when the ‘KC’ (as many people called it) weren’t creating tech or games, the CEO and his workers would create easily accessible buildings and spots for the community. These would help young kids through entry fees for willing shoppers, but free comfort zones for children. Bastion had heard about KaibaCorp, and was rather impressed by the company’s feats. He was also glad that the KC was out of the question when it came to work; His bosses had no reason to take him down, and hopefully it was going to stay that way.

Upon paying the entry fee, Bastion had walked into the shopping centre and looked at the surrounding shops. Each area had a variety of different shops, from Clothing to Food, from Party Gear to DVDs. The mall was amazing, and the stunned teenager was unsure of where to start first.

Given his ability to only carry things with his hands, arms and backpack, he’d thought it’d be best to look around first. He had been here a few times with Tania, but only for quick browsing. In fact, the very thought of his best friend made him decide on what to purchase first. A gift for Tania.

He decided to take an elevator to Floor 4, where all the gifts and misc. item shops were. He walked past a few, gazing at the window items for an idea until he stopped at a plush store. Bastion noticed various items displayed were rather cute, which caught his attention. The teen decided to walk in, ready to find a gift for Tania.

Nearby also on Floor 4, was Chazz from Pride Academy. He was wearing all black, from his shirt to trousers. His shirt however, displayed a purple lightning bolt on the left, which matched the purple wristbands on his right arm. Pride Academy students were allowed to leave the campus once a month for their own personal time. It was to be on weekends only, and for no suspicious activity to attend to. These visits were different from just merely leaving the grounds for school activities or lunch, which were allowed every day.

Chazz usually used this time to shop for his own needs, but today was different. He walked past several of the gift stores, grumbling at himself.

“Come on, there’s gotta be something here to cheer Alexis up! Nothing here seems good enough at all!”

Ever since his last interaction with his working partner, Chazz had been determined to make her smile. Alexis’ recent upset made her silent for the past few days, showing no emotion but melancholy. Not a single hello. Not a single answer at any teacher. Not a single sound. This wasn’t new; Thoughts of her deceased brother would get to the blonde, causing her to stay in depressed moments for a while. Chazz understood that she would need space, but would often try to cheer her up after a while. So for the moment, he was looking for a gift that would lift her spirits.

Chazz decided to walk into the plush store, where he tried to not smile at all of the cuteness of toys. Even when around people he didn’t know, ‘The Chazz’ had a reputation to uphold, and easily aweing at toys would completely diminish it.

He looked at the variety of plush, big and small. Bearded dragons. Horses. Axolotls. Hedgehogs. Sheep. Octopus. Chickens. Many common plush choices too, such as dogs and cats. The store had a unique choice of plush, but not one of them suited to Chazz’s needs.

“Damn, what animal does Alexis prefer? I’m not sure if she’d be okay with a common one or more exotic animal toy. Oh, this dog here? Wait no, that’s an Australian Shepard…Atticus had one as a pet, that would make Alexis feel worse!”

Chazz’s quiet speak became loud chatter with himself, which caught the attention of Bastion nearby, who was admiring the big cat section of the store. He raised his head quickly and turned it to see the distraught teen, who he recognised immediately.

“It’s him. From the other night…,” Bastion said quietly to himself, before quickly closing his mouth, not wanting to be heard. Both he and Chazz were at the scene of Aster Phoenix’s death, so it was best to remain unseen.

Unfortunately, Bastion’s unique ability to be given the cold-shoulder wasn’t working once again.

“Hey, it’s you!”

Chazz quickly approached the taller male, folding his arms as he looked up. “You. What are you doing here?”

Bastion sighed as he looked at Chazz before him, slightly bothered by his presence. “Shopping. Why do you ask?”

“I have some questions to ask you, Mr. Scientist. About the other night.”

“Why?”

“You’re a suspect. There was a crime, you were there.”

“So were around fifty people. I’m sorry I cannot help with your questions. I got lost in the building, and as I walked out, I heard several others talk of Aster’s disappearance.” Bastion was clever of making up lies on the spot for his own safety, and issued them out as quickly as possible. “Why are you asking, Chazz?” He was also good at remembering names, even if he met the person just once.

“You were the last to talk to him, from what I saw.”

“Well, sorry I cannot help. If you have concerns, you should probably let the police know.”

That was the problem. While the police did investigate Aster’s disappearance, they were unaware of his death, which was known to the workers of the DAI. Their case was secret, and they planned to keep it that way. Much like how Bastion and his bosses would like to keep their truth a secret, as well.

“I’m sorry about Mr. Phoenix’s disappearance, Chazz. I do wish for him to found soon.”

Lies.

“Hmph, yeah…” Chazz nodded. While the rich prodigy did bother the spy, he did not wish for his death. Aster was a decent person to Chazz, even somewhat a role model to him. He just couldn’t admit it. “Uh, what was your name again, may I ask?”

“…Bastion.” A slight hesitation, as he remembered that his did reveal a fake name to the teen before him the other night. “It’s Bastion.”

“Right…,” Chazz muttered. Despite these answers given to him, the spy was still not satisfied. He knew _something_ was up about the taller teen. He had a similar feeling in his gut from when they first met, too. “So, what are you doing here?”

“Looking for a gift,” responded Bastion, looking back at the choice of big cat plush. He spotted a particular large tiger plush, and blinked at it.

“For who?”

“For a friend.” Bastion didn’t take his eyes off the toy however. He was thinking whether of not to purchase the gift for Tania.

“For…your girlfriend?” Chazz smirked. While although Chazz usually remained in his ‘cool’ personality, especially around strangers, he had a bit of a cheeky side to him. He rarely showed this side to suspects though, only usually his closest friends and from folks from Idler High.

“No,” Bastion responded immediately, finally turning his head to face the other. “Rude of you to ask that.”

“Hey, I was just curious.”

“Why are you here then, Chazz?”

“None of your business.”

Bastion blinked at him and sighed. “Alright…” He still wasn’t fond of Chazz’s attitude and behaviour, but did find it rather odd. Why ask someone what they’re doing but not answer the same question given to them? Why refuse help from professionals when an elevator gets stuck? Bastion unfolded his arms and picked up the large tiger plush and headed to the counter. “Well, if you excuse me, I’ll be leaving. Nice talking to you.”

He didn’t find the talk nice at all, but Bastion wanted to be kind to the other. Even if the two of them got off the wrong foot once again. He wasn’t expecting to see Chazz again, and wasn’t hoping to again in the future. Knowing Chazz was at Aster Phoenix’s party, and knew him personally, Bastion’s mind was telling him to avoid him at all costs. Sure, he had the ability to take him down, but there was no order to. And it seems that the spiky-haired teen’s suspicions of the assassin had left, so Bastion assumed was safe.

After paying for the large plush, Bastion headed out the door, giving a quick glance to Chazz before exiting.

“Hm, sure,” muttered Chazz, raising a brow at the other. He stood there with folding arms, watching him leave. “I don’t like that guy.”

Shaking his head, he began to focus on the choice of toys to choose from. Although he was breaking his code of 'work first', Chazz was more concerned about his best friend, Alexis. They were often partners, as as much as Chazz would like to take care of the man he met the other night, Chazz's heart was too focused on Alexis.

He turned his head, widening his eyes at what he saw. Immediately walking towards the variety of bird plush, he focused on the large bird toy. It had his wings open, as if ready to fly. It would easily be mistaken for being alive, if it wasn’t for the cleverly hidden stitches and buttons for eyes. As the teen picked it up, he was approached by the worker of the store.

“Oh, I see you’ve taken an interest in that cutie,” they commented. The worker was quite young for their age, with long blue hair put up in a red cap, with a fringe displayed. They wore an orange shirt underneath a worker’s apron, and short pants accompanied with sneakers. Their gender indecisive to the male, but he wasn’t going to comment, nor he minded.

“Oh, uh…”

“That’s a swallow! It represents care along with freedom and hope!” commented the worker, who was very happy to be addressing an un-asked question.

“Does it?” Chazz asked, actually interested in listening. He did raise a brow at the other though, seeing how young they looked. There was something strange about them, but he couldn’t put his finger on what.

“Yes! And it also represents love…,” they said, holding her hands in awe. “In ancient Greece, swallows were associated the goddess of love, Aphrodite!”

Chazz was interested in the bird’s association with love, as he was looking for a toy for his crush. But he was still curious about the worker, considering that they just started to talk out of nowhere. That and they looked rather familiar.

The employee continued to ramble about her knowledge of love until Chazz realised how they seemed so familiar.

“Hey, I know you!” Chazz interrupted, only to be spoken over by the other.

“Don’t speak over me! I was talking about how great love is!”

“You’re from Idler High! You’re that kid who took my secret resting spot at last year’s games!”

“Yeah, so what?”

“You better not do that this year.”

“And what if I do? What are you gonna do?”

Chazz wasn’t sure on how to answer that. He couldn’t challenge the other to a game, they were much younger than him. That would be against the rules. How did they even get a job anyway? The worker was an Idler and looked very young.

“That shut your trap, didn’t it?”

“Zip it, kid! Look, I’m just gonna buy this bird and leave, alright?”

“Alright!” said the employee, heading back to the counter. “And the name’s not _'kid'._ It’s Blair!”

“Yeah, okay.”

Chazz approached the counter and quickly paid for the toy. It was quite pricey due to it’s size and craftsmanship, but Chazz didn’t mind. This was to cheer up a close friend, someone he deeply cared about. Who cares if he didn’t get loads of money from his ‘family’ anymore? He’s got a job that rewards him greatly. It’s not like he was losing any money.

As he paid for the plush, he asked the worker a question. “Say, how do you know so much about love anyway? You wouldn’t shut up about it.”

“Who _shouldn’t_ know so much about love? It’s the most incredible feeling in the world!” they responded, sighing. “Love has helped me in so many ways, and can help you!”

“Hey, who said I was buying this toy for love, hmm?”

“I can tell it in your eyes, spiky boy.”

“ _S-Spiky-boy?_ It’s Chazz. _The_ Chazz. You should’ve been paying attention during last year’s games!”

“Nah, I’ve got more important boys to pay attention to.”

“Like who?”

“Jaden Yuki…”

The black-clad teenager widened his eyes in shock, taking a step back. Suddenly, he felt his stomach churn, and his heart beating rapidly with anxiety. And with a strange taste in his mouth? He didn’t know what was going on, but he felt upset and angry. The male had to leave, he was feeling sick.

“J-Jaden?! That slacker?”

Too late. Chazz already let his anger get the best of him.

“Yeah, so?”

“He’s nothing! He’s just a punk who thinks he’s better than me, that never does his work… All he does and eat and sleep! He’s pathetic!”

“Well, he does always kick your butt during the games…”

“Shut it! I’m not hearing any word of it. I’m leaving.”

“Okay then, moody pants.”

Chazz left the store as quickly as he could with his new purchase, dashing around the corner so he wouldn’t been seen. He was taking a few breaths, trying to calm himself down. He had no idea what just happened, or why he was feeling sick in the stomach. It was almost as if he was anxious. Scared…?

_“No, why in Hell would I be scared of some random kid liking Jaden? He’s nothing more than my rival…”_

The image of Jaden Yuki appeared in his mind. A happy young brunet, spending time with his friends at Idler. Happily running out with a soccer ball, laughing as he falls in the mud on the field. Enjoying the game and dirt…

_”Disgusting.”_

Why was the Idler High student in Chazz’s mind, though? Didn’t he detest him? With his only desire to beat him in anything they do together? Why was it, that Blair’s feelings for the happy go-lucky boy made Chazz so angry yet sick? Perhaps if they got together, Jaden would lose interest in competing with him?

“ _Yes, that’s surely it!”_

But his mind debunked that with the common knowledge that Jaden Yuki always takes up a challenge, no matter what.

The teen’s mind was confusing him, but managed to gain a grasp on reality and held onto his purchase tightly.

He took a sigh as he made his way to the Floor 2, the food court. Perhaps a drink would settle his thoughts.

\---

After buying the large tiger plush for his close friend Tania, ‘Bastion’ had been busily shopping, taking an adventure throughout several stores in the large shopping complex. Including his backpack, he carried large bags with his hands and arms with ease. Many onlookers gazed upon the happy teen, shocked at how he could carry so much. However from a second look, some had noticed the build underneath his clothes, but still were still impressed.

The assassin would’ve been carrying more, as he had bought more items but could only carry so much with just two arms. He had ordered himself upgrades for his computer at home, which was always being modified. It worked perfectly fine, but the boy had an interest in technology as well as science, and was planning to build a very powerful beast. Not only would it help him with his hobbies, he could possibly use it to impress his bosses and use it for work.

What he carried in his arms however, were quite different. Besides the large tiger toy (which he hired a worker from his household to quickly pickup to ensure it would remain safe,) he had collected various items. A few of them being clothes of all sorts, a few DVDs of his favourite shows, as well as a few history books. He also bought a few items to stim with, such as a variety of rubiks cubes, stress balls, and kinetic sand as well as some rubbery items to fidget with his hands.

When he was younger, Bastion would often fidget with his hands and flap them around whenever he was gleeful or excited, as well as raising them like a meerkat when scared or nervous. However, his bosses and caretakers disapproved of this, slapping his wrists whenever he showed such behaviour with his hands. Due to this, he learned that his fidgeting was bad, but still had the strange desire to move them around. Over the years, he learned to occupy his hands with items however, which seemed perfectly acceptable by the others. At least he wouldn’t get hit anymore, and he was happy with that.

Noticing that the only large amounts of money he spent on was on the computer parts, Bastion was surprised that he spent only half of his current savings. Realising this, he decided to take a break before heading home and headed to the food court.

The food court had a large selection of restaurants and drink stations to choose from.  Foods from all over the world were sold here, as well as food made for especially for people with certain dietary needs. As he walked in, he first noticed that a juice bar was selling a choice of fresh fruit drinks. Bastion nearly expressed disgust on his face, before realising he was in public and didn’t wish to upset the vendors. He kept his thoughts to himself, and walked along.

He had trouble deciding where to eat. Some of the fast food places put him off; He wasn’t a fan of unhealthy greasy food. The teen would only eat such food on occasion, but he wasn’t in the mood for burgers and chips.

Sushi? No, just a few rolls wouldn’t satisfy is now rumbling stomach.

Shawarma? He didn’t mind them, but he wasn't interested for the day.

Salad? Too light.

Sweets? He was looking for a big lunch, not a sweet snack.

After walking around the floor, with a hungry stomach loud enough to make the assassin blush, Bastion finally found something to fill him up.

He found a store that’s sold purely vegetarian food. While the teen was not vegetarian himself, he enjoyed vegetables, and the dishes displayed were enough to fill him up. He stared at the hot dishes displayed behind a glass window, almost drooling at the food. He quickly shook his head, placing his bags down near a seat and looked up at the counter, ready to order.

 

“Order 330! Vege korma, Mongolian Tempeh with brown rice? And a bottle of water?”

“Oh, yes! Thank you so much.”

“You’re very welcome. Enjoy!”

Bastion grabbed his meal, along with plastic utensils and a few napkins and placed himself down at the desk, surrounded by his shopping bags.

After waiting a few minutes for his meal to cool down, the teen began to chow down, savouring every second. They were 3, individual and moderate sized portions, enough to fill him up. Bastion smiled at his ate, making a small mess with his mouth. He made sure to clean himself up, but was still quite content. He hadn't eaten since he arrived at the shopping centre, after all. One could say he was even in love with the food!

That’s definitely what Chazz thought when he noticed Bastion eat his meal around the corner. He noticed how he savoured the food…It was as if he hadn’t eaten good food for a while. Did he not get quality food where he lived? That’s when Chazz noticed all the bags placed around Bastion. That must’ve meant he was rich, or at least middle-class. Where did that huge tiger toy go? He scoffed.

Bastion heard a sound and looked around, seeing Chazz across a few tables. He sighed and looked at his own food, before doing a double-take. What was Chazz drinking, a fruit smoothie? And a plain muffin? Bastion didn’t express any form of disgust, only a blank expression at the other. He turned back to his own food, and tried not to think of Chazz’s presence nor his ‘bad taste’ in food. The assassin didn’t want to gain Chazz’s attention anymore. It was best to never make contact with the other ever again out of safety.

Despite Bastion ignoring the male from afar, Chazz quietly ate as he watched. Ever since their last discussion, he was more suspicious than usual. He had his associate Jesse Anderson to investigate ‘The Lithmus Association’, the group that Bastion had mentioned to Aster before his death. Chazz had overheard the discussion between the two and asked Jesse to research it and to see if there was any legitimacy on the internet. Jesse had recently texted Chazz and confirmed it all to be fake, despite how real the group actually looked. He noted that someone had did an incredible job on making websites and reviews about The Lithmus Association, but their website could easily be hacked, revealing the truth about the ‘group’. That it never existed.

Chazz responded via text asking if there was anything revealing who ran the fake project, but Jesse responded saying it was all anonymous. The IP address of the website lead to an unknown province outside of Japan, and he along with many other workers had begun to investigate it. He also added that ‘Bastion’ was worthy of suspicion, and Chazz agreed.

As he finished his discussion with Jesse, Chazz quickly placed his phone away and finish his meal. Placing his scraps in the bin, he was about to march towards his suspect, until he noticed something wrong.

‘Bastion’ had disappeared.

“Shit.”

Chazz grabbed his swallow plush and began looking around from where Bastion was last seen, looking for any traces. He couldn’t see any dirty footprints or any scraps of food. Sighing, one of his worst fears would have to come true.

Working at the DAI, workers are given an amount of advanced technology, many of them cleverly discreet for public use. This would go from laser pens, special de-coding scanners to poison testers disguised as spoons. However, to find footprints difficult to see in plain sight, was something utterly embarrassing for Chazz.

Glasses.

Big, thick square glasses.

And to Chazz, they made him look like a complete idiot.

Netherless, he placed them on and looked at the ground, quickly finding tracks. He walked to follow them, and did his very best to focus. As he walked further, the spy’s suspect’s footsteps become mixed with other’s, making it difficult to follow. He then quickly pressed a button on the side of his glasses, enabling to focus on Bastion’s footsteps only. As he managed to walk outside, he found that the track stopped at a taxi stop.

“Makes sense,” Chazz groaned, as he removed his glasses. “He must’ve Uber’d his way out. These things don’t track cars.” While he was thankful he no longer had to wear the fake glasses, Chazz was annoyed at himself for not catching up with his suspect.

The spy checked his phone, about to text Jesse about the lost suspect. However, as he noticed the time, he began to text a taxi to go back to Pride Academy. It was late in the afternoon, and the teen needed to get back to his boarding school before curfew. Chazz looked at his gift for Alexis in his arms as he finished the call. As much as he wanted to continue work, Pride Academy had it’s rules to follow. And in that school was a student in need of emotional care.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm not an expert at this sort of stuff so if I screw up anywhere please let me know.  
> I hope you can all see what I'm trying to hint at with Misawa so far.
> 
> And yeah, nonbinary Blair/Rei!! :D
> 
> I really tried to be original with the spy items, I really did! I didn't want to rip off Totally Spies...  
> (Also, I keep accidentally typing Jesse as Johan....Why did the dub change that name...)
> 
> Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. Comments are appreciated!


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